On Sat, Dec 02, 2000 at 12:34:36AM -0500, Some Linux User wrote:
> am i correct in saying that to be able to mantian a package or really anything useful for debian that i need to at least be in the process of appling to become a part of the community (become an appliciant)? thank you.
> -holland
>
No, actually a lot of people help out without becoming a Debian developer.
In my opinion, being part of the community means talking to others in the
community, helping them where you can, and learning from those with different
experiences.
Some examples of directly helping Debian without being an official member
are:
-making detailed bug reports when you find a problem
-writing down what you know about different topics
(more documentation is always welcome, and that way
you can pass on the knowledge that you gained to others
who are just starting out)
-writing and submitting patches for bugs
-making corrections or additions to existing docs
-writing summaries of mailing lists that you follow
(like the "kernel traffic" style)
And i think one of the most important things that would help debian is:
Learn all you can about the concept of Free software, the details of the
Debian Free Software Guidelines, and the Debian Social Contract. Mention
them to your friends and acquaintances. Merely talking about Free software
and the reasons that Debian exists, will cause other people to become
interested and learn about it for themselves.
When I'm at school in the lab, and the person next to me is frustrated using
MS SQLserver, i show them how I am using PostgreSQL. When someone complains
about bugs in their software, i offer to take a look at the code for them.
And if they say they're not allowed to see the code, i say "oh, that's too
bad...i try to use software that allows me to see the code."
The more people that know about Debian and Free software, the better :)
Pete Lypkie Encrypted email preferred
pete@linux-geek.net -------------------------
plypkie@debian.org see http://www.gnupg.org/